Reflection by Stephen Wruck

The northern end of our city has been expanding rapidly. What was once farmland or scrub between the Gold Coast and Brisbane is fast becoming housing. Over the past few years, the rate of growth has significantly exceeded the projections of the State and local Governments.

With that growth comes social pressures. Young families who move in are leaving their networks and extended families behind and are desperately seeking new connections.

In the past, the Church played a significant role in filling these gaps. Joining one’s local church seemed a logical way for new arrivals to meet people and to ‘become involved.’ It is how our towns and cities originally grew.

Times have changed though. Young adults have generally grown up unfamiliar with, and are possibly even suspicious of, the Christian Church. Once, as towns expanded new churches were built. But the Church is no longer included in town planning discussions. So, we have vast new suburbs where the new residents are not necessarily looking for a Church to help them make new connections, and there may not be a Church in their community anyway, even if they were looking for one.

The Anglican Church of Gold Coast North (with locations in Biggera Waters, Upper Coomera and Oxenford) has recognised the need in the new suburbs to their north. They have recently committed to hiring a husband and wife team to focus on ministry into these new areas. They have no place to meet, no church building. But the need to build new relationships and to make new connections through the Gospel is great.

The Archbishop recently asked us to help Gold Coast North support this ministry. Our Church Council has agreed to do this with initial financial support, and also agreed to consider ways that we as a community could be generous in committing to long-term support.

My hope is that we can be generous in our support of this ministry. Generous in our prayer, generous with our time and generous with our finances to help meet the costs involved in an important ministry that at its initial stage has no income.